Oscar Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o on Sunday, September 15, got Nigerians on Twitter red with anger.
This was after American movie giant WarnerMedia's decision to have the Kenyan actress to act the role of a Nigerian character in a new movie, Americanah to premiere on HBO Max, the company's answer to Netflix.
"HBO Max orders limited series 'Americanah' based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-selling novel of the same name. The 10-episode series will star Lupita Nyong'o with the pilot written by the showrunner," posted the American movie maker.
The 10-episode TV series is based on Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s best-selling novel by the same name.
Americanah is a story of a Nigerian-born woman who left home for America and her extraordinary experiences with love, heartache, adversity, and self-discovery.
Nigerians however, were displeased with the moviemaker's decision arguing that being a Nigerian character, the role would have been best suited for a Nigerian actress.
Others who felt that Lupita would embody the character perfectly however maintained that she would not be able to pull the Igbo accent.
"They’ll use American accent to speak Igbo. Give Genevieve Nnaji the role or else, we’re not watching it!" demanded Joanna Pearl a Nigerian netizen.
"They need to stop doing this. We have fine actresses from Nigeria who can play these roles better. Lupita is good but try other people who are Nigerians. Is she going to be taught how to speak half-baked Igbo instead of a real Nigerian?" questioned a Nigerian on Twitter by the moniker Hajaar.
Halimee inquired, "Why is Lupita in this if she’s not Igbo or Nigerian? This is literally like having a Japanese person play a Korean person, it makes no sense."
Duke Edoho also argued, " When you can you would go for the best. Lupita playing that role will suffer one thing, the “Igbo” accent but if we can put that aside we would all agree that she will interpret the character perfectly. So the question is will the accent be a problem?
Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) however quickly came to Lupita's defence, savagely telling off Nigerians.
Most of them argued that Lupita is the best African film actress who could pull any accent and that she was given the role by merit.
Gilzims a Kenyan posted, "Lupita is just doing what she does best. Any insult on her is an insult to all of us. Nigerians should sit back and take notes. And by the way, Nigerians know how this will end if they push too far."
Another Netizen, Bravin reminded Nigerians about Beyoncé's Lion King album that premiered recently, where no Kenyan made it to the list despite the heavy East-African theme.
"When the Lion King album was being made, so many Nigerian artists made it to the list and no Kenyan artist was put on the list let alone any East African Artist. So you all Nigerians have so many double standards. Lupita is a dope actress and you can't compare her to Genevieve Nnaji."
However, few Nigerians felt that as long as the role was given to an African, in this case Lupita, it deserved enough support from all black people. Here is what some of them had to say.
Femi Denning, "Please don't bring the Nigerian versus Kenyan argument here. As long as she's melanin and can act she's getting the role! Why so much hate in Africa at the moment and you all want to spoil the little things that give us joy, is something wrong with Africans?
"Nigerians think HBO cares about their feelings. Mention one Nollywood actress as big as Lupita's eyebrow. HBO will use who they believe will bring them revenue. You should all order your own Chimamanda book and use only Nollywood actors," retorted Agbontaen Eseosa.
"A Kenyan portrayed Idi Amin, a Ugandan in a movie, a Nigerian portrayed Seretse Khama, a Motswana. And all of these were historical figures. So I don't have to be a Nigerian to understand why it is a big deal to cast a non-Nigerian as some fictional character." posted Sinde Skatespearé.
Lupita's casting in this role and the uproar by Nigerians mirrors the broader global casting controversy termed whitewashing - a casting practice in Hollywood where white actors are given roles depicting historically non-white characters in a deliberate act of robbing non-white populations agency in the global consciousness.
Dating back to the 20th Century, white actors would wear blackface or yellowface to caricature different races in films that plainly exaggerated perceived stereotypes of non-white minorities.
